The Turkish pilgrims arrived in the Holy Land, last Monday evening, with the arrival of the last group in Mecca, in moments full of reverence and faith, after their journey began with the departure of the first group on the ninth of last May.
The head of religious affairs, Ali Arbash, announced that this year will witness the performance of the Hajj by about 85,000 citizens, 53% of whom are women, while 47% are men, with an average age of 60 years, which reflects the great dedication and spiritual aspiration for this blessed ritual.
It is noteworthy that the number of Turkish pilgrims last year reached 83,430 pilgrims, which indicates stability in numbers and that there is no significant difference between the two years.
The number of Hajj applicants waiting for their turn in Türkiye in the period between 2007-2024 reached about 2.47 million.
The cost of Hajj from Turkey for the year 2024, whether within trips affiliated with the Turkish Presidency of Religious Affairs, or for tourism and travel companies, ranges between $6,600 and $7,800 per person, while the cost increases by adding some features to the trip, such as accommodation.
The Turkish Presidency of Religious Affairs announced the intensification of its efforts to ensure that citizens perform the Hajj in the best possible way, noting that it is working to transform the Hajj into an integrated guidance process, as it has allocated a team of 76 specialized scholars and 430 female religious guides, in addition to 378 caravan leaders and 1,736 imams to provide assistance. Guidance and direction for pilgrims during their journey.
For his part, the head of religious affairs, Ali Arbash, announced that the average age of pilgrims this year reached 60 years, noting that the oldest pilgrim is a woman from Diyarbakir province who is 114 years old, while the youngest is a child who is not more than 24 days old.
He explained that 7 Turkish citizens have died so far after arriving in the Holy Lands to perform the Hajj for various reasons.
Mecca Road Project
On May 13, Esenboga Airport in the Turkish capital, Ankara, witnessed the opening of the “Mecca Road” project, which allows pilgrims arriving to the Holy Land from the Turkish airport to reach their hotels directly without going through Saudi airport procedures.
In this context, the Saudi Ambassador to Ankara, Fahd Asaad Abu Al-Nasr, confirmed that this initiative represents a qualitative leap in improving the pilgrims’ experience, as it allows them to complete complete travel procedures at the departure airport, including customs procedures, passport stamping, and health examinations, which makes it easier for pilgrims to arrive at the airport. The Kingdom feels as if they are on a domestic flight within a local airport, where they find their luggage available at the hotel upon their arrival.
Hajj in times of crisis
The number of people who registered for Hajj this year decreased significantly, reaching 135,421 people, compared to 221,916 people last year, 2023, which reflects a decline in the demand for registration for Hajj.
Turkey is facing an economic crisis that has cast a heavy shadow on citizens, as the inflation rate recorded a sharp rise, reaching 75.5% on an annual basis last May, as the value of the Turkish lira continues to deteriorate.
In light of these worsening conditions, the government began taking decisive measures to address the crisis, most notably adopting the monetary tightening policy that was implemented about a year ago, as one of the steps that come within the framework of intensive efforts to restore economic stability and reduce the consequences of inflation on the daily lives of citizens.
Despite the difficult economic conditions that Turkish citizens suffer from, the demand for performing religious rituals remains strong. The number of Turks who performed Umrah rituals last year reached 406,000 people, which reflects their keenness to preserve religious traditions despite the current economic challenges.
As for the current year, Talha Yal, director of Al Baraka Hajj and Umrah Company, explained to Al Jazeera Net that Turks who register for Hajj usually keep their money allocated for Hajj, or start collecting it from the year they submit the application, which reduces the financial burden on them.
He added that considering the costs of Hajj between last year and the current year, it is possible to notice a decrease in prices if calculated in dollars, but when calculated in Turkish lira, we find that the cost increased by between 50 to 70 thousand Turkish liras. This constitutes a major obstacle for the majority of Turkish citizens who depend on the Turkish lira for their income.
He pointed out that the economic impact on pilgrims has become clear through the decrease in the number of Hajj applicants compared to previous years, which means that even thinking about submitting a Hajj application this year and starting to collect the required amount has become very difficult.
Yale pointed out that the demand for performing Umrah was not greatly affected by the economic crisis, as the cost of Umrah for the current year ranges between 1,280 and 1,560 dollars.
In this context, Fatima Kaya, who was chosen for Hajj in the 2024 lottery, expressed her deep sadness at her inability to cover the costs required to perform Hajj rituals.
Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, Kaya explained that she had been impatiently waiting for the day when it would be her turn to go to Hajj for 3 years, but the financial circumstances were stronger than her attempts to overcome them.
She added, “I live with my husband, and we are both retired, and each of us’s salary does not exceed 10,000 liras ($300). We were trying to collect money in the hope that it would be enough to go to Hajj when my turn arrives, but what we collected was not enough for even half the required amount.”
Kaya blamed the difficult economic conditions that the country is suffering from in general, expressing her hope that conditions will improve next year, enabling her to achieve her dream of going to the Holy Land.
